Ratchet
:"This is not a cause worth dying for. No cause is." :—''Ratchet.'' Ratchet was the smuggling partner and closest friend of the exiled Sith Lord, Darth Saber. As the talented pilot of their vessel, the Friendship, she trailed across the galaxy with her inseparable companion during the final years of the Sith Empire, often serving as the voice of reason to Saber's misguided flights of fancy. Biography Early life A Mandalorian born to Clan Nord of House Vizsla, Ratchet grew up in a culture that embraced valor and glory on the battlefield. Her childlike wonder turned to guarded pessimism upon her father's unceremonious death, for Ratchet now saw the Mandalorians as a failing people whose tradition of glorifying war would lead to their ultimate end. Ratchet swore that she would avoid her father's fate and deemed no cause worthy enough to stake her life in. Given House Vizsla's alliance with the Sith, she spent several years growing up on Dromund Kaas, the capital of the Sith Empire. While her father was off fighting against the Republic and its Jedi allies, her childhood was littered with gloomy images of an imposing, rainy cityscape made bright by a wide-eyed boy in a similar predicament — Darth Saber. While their paths diverged during Saber's attendance at the Sith Academy, the two friends were reunited when Saber left his master's increasingly deplorable schemes, and joined Ratchet on Nar Shaddaa to become smugglers, fulfilling one of the young Mandalorian's childhood dreams. The Fallen Knights :"We're business partners. I fly the ship, Saber deals with negotiations." :—''Ratchet.'' On a fateful night during the ninth year of their partnership, Ratchet went for a brief visit to the nearest tech shop located in Corellian Sector of Nar Shaddaa. Little did she know that this would result in her friend being captured by Grabba the Hutt after organizing a needless search for her whereabouts. Taking Out the Trash She was introduced to Doop Skychafer after returning to Booze Girls, the watering hole she and Saber frequented. The two joined under a fellow Mandalorian's offer to raid the corpulent Hutt's palace, albeit for entirely different motives. Doop cared about the pay, and Ratchet wanted to save her friend. A Cancerous Plan Much to her annoyance, Ratchet bore witness to Cancerous Ordo's suicidal, yet disturbingly effective battering ram as their siege began in earnest. Bagman While the rest of the assault crew were rummaging through Grabba's vaults, she joined Doop and a radar technician named Matt into storming the upper levels of the palace. Operation: Liposuction As the group squared off against the Trandoshan mercenaries of Grabba the Hutt, they met an unlikely ally in General Fux, an old mutual friend of Darth Saber and her. The ginger general directed them towards the probable location of the captive Sith Lord, and upon reclaiming him from a mysterious armored dame, he offered them a reward in cash to be claimed on the fringe world of Dantooine. While Ratchet was content by being reunited with her friend, the offer of payment enticed Doop a great deal. With Matt regrettably left behind, the trio descended towards the hangar and claimed the anchored ship lying there as their own — the Centennial Turkey, the light freighter that once belonged to the legendary outlaw heroes, Mynock and Kestrel. Danger Zone Making their way to Dantooine, the new and unlikely crew started on rocky terms, as Doop's brash and aloof attitude clashed against Ratchet's pragmatism. Upon exiting lightspeed, they found themselves in the middle of a space battle between a newly-arrived Republic fleet and the Empire's Chiss allies. Despite the odds stacked against their survival, the skilled pilot navigated them across the chaos of the battle and landed in the wartorn city of Khoonda with reparable damage. A Game of Clones During Doop and Saber's exploration on foot, Ratchet was busy tending to the repairs on the Turkey. After a sleepless night, she was called by Saber via the intercom with instructions to land in the remains of the Jedi Enclave, a sacred site now repurposed into a renegade droid base. After landing in their new base of operations and shutting down the murderous droids stationed there, Ratchet and Saber were reunited again. While Ratchet took a liking to the droid detective Columbo, Saber's other new ally — the rebellious Chiss scientist named Missy — left a lot to be desired. Ratchet didn't trust her, and the feeling was undeniably mutual. As the fate of Dantooine hung in the balance, Darth Saber chose Ratchet's suggestion to call General Fux and the second Imperial fleet to come to the defense of the occupied world. Sweet Bucks of General Fux The group eventually made their way to the Imperial treasure vault where they reconvened with Doop Skychafer. While General Fux promised the former Jedi Knight payment in the contents of the vault, the contents were long gone by the time the group entered its chambers. The only thing left was a clue to its perpetrators — Kestrel and Mynock. With the Sith Empire's finest pushing the Republic forces and the Ascendancy traitors back, General Fux offered Saber an offer to rejoin the Imperial military as they made their final assault on the Core Worlds. Unwilling to part with her friend this time, a reluctant Ratchet joined the Sith Lord as they departed the golden plains of Dantooine with the dreaded frontlines as their course. Legacy of the Force :"Ramming through the entire Imperial blockade is not my idea of fun!" :"Please, lady. I '''live' for this."'' :—''Missy and RatchetRatchet.'' Following the events on Dantooine, a year spent on the battlefield had taken its toll on Ratchet as the dark chapter of her childhood was reopened during a costly Imperial campaign to conquer Corellia, a key Republic world. Master Bait Unwilling to see Saber meet her father's fate, and adamant to escape it herself, Ratchet confronted her friend with an ultimatum. She was leaving and taking the Friendship with her, pleading with the Sith Lord to join her for good this time. Despite Darth Saber's rousing speech, the Imperial forces assaulting Coronet City began to falter and crumble as a dark and shadowy threat emerged to silence him. Hardened by Ratchet's words, and fearful of the disciples now hunting him, Saber took Ratchet's offer at the cost of losing his place in Imperial society. By circumstance, the Friendship's crew was joined by Missy, who came to rescue Saber from certain death on the battlefield, and her slicer friend Tink. The remains of Saber's assault squad — the distinguished Captain Faz and Saber's contemporary from the Academy days, Lady Flavia, had also decided to tag along with the group as Imperial deserters. Following a lead on the mysterious disciples, Ratchet and Saber returned to Nar Shaddaa to seek the audience of the Knights of Jossh, a reclusive band of force-users located in the underbelly of the Smuggler's Moon. Behind the Scenes :"I think she's probably the most emotionally mature of the lot. She's the string keeping them all together." :—''Alamact.'' Ratchet was initially conceived as the third main protagonist of the comic, but given its interactive nature, that role was given to Missy instead. This is notably reflected in their animosity towards one another. She became a fan-favorite during the explosive finale of The Fallen Knights, which eventually resulted in her getting an expanded role in the second Act. Trivia *Her last name, and the clan that she belongs to, is a reference to the notorious bounty hunter Calo Nord from the Legends game, Knights of the Old Republic. Whether or not he is a direct ancestor is unknown. *Her attire in Legacy of the Force is loosely based on Calo Nord's blue coat. *Contrary to most Mandalorians, she does not like tihaar. However, she seems to have an appetite for ale. *Her name is a reference to Kestrel, one of the main heroes from the old adventure. *One of the broad inspirations for her initial concept was Kaylee Frye, the bubbly mechanic from Firefly. This is most apparent in her Fallen Knights hairstyle, as well as the fact that she is literally the wrench wench of the group. Appearances *''Taking Out the Trash'' *''A Cancerous Plan'' *''Bagman'' *''Operation: Liposuction'' *''Danger Zone'' *''A Game of Clones'' *''Sweet Bucks of General Fux'' *''Master Bait''